Air carrier flight crew reported a flight attendant was slightly injured after falling when the Captain had to abruptly stop to avoid a collision with a ground vehicle during taxi at SEA.
Synopsis
Air carrier flight crew reported a flight attendant was slightly injured after falling when the Captain had to abruptly stop to avoid a collision with a ground vehicle during taxi at SEA.
Narrative
I was Captain on flight XXXX SEA-ZZZ. We were taxiing on the Green Line towards Spot XX at approximately 10 knots. Coming out of the turn abeam Gate X I noticed movement on the right. What appeared to be a baggage tug was approaching at a very fast speed perpendicular to our path attempting to cross the ramp. This vehicle did not show any sign of slowing down or altering course or yielding to us in any way forcing me to aggressively break to a complete stop. The tug zipped by approximately 20 feet in front of the nose; the driver apparently completely oblivious to our presence and proceeded to park next to Gate X. Once we completely stopped I flashed the taxi light as the tug passed. I could clearly see the driver's face as they passed right in front of us and they stared straight ahead the whole time even with the light flashing at them. The FO (First Officer) advised the Ramp Controller of the incident and they dispatched an ops car to attempt to locate the offending driver. This was easily the most egregious example of a tug cutting off an airplane I have seen in my career. A few minutes later I contacted the number one flight attendant; explained the situation that had happened; and asked if there were any issues or if anybody was up or was injured due to the abrupt stop. He told me that everything appeared fine and he was not aware of any issues. Later in the flight the number two flight attendant informed me that she had fallen hard and had injured her leg. She was standing facing aft preparing catering carts. When I braked hard the unsecured carts came forward crashing into her and knocked her down. She believes she will have bruising caused by this event. Cause: Complete failure of the tug driver to yield to our aircraftSuggestion: Establish crossing lanes on the SEA ramp for ramp personnel/vehicles with Stop signs.
Second reporter narrative
While taxiing out on the Green line to Spot XX in Seattle when an air carrier tug cut right in front of the aircraft and proceeded to cross the ramp near [taxiway] 1 and continued to park near Gate X. The Captain stopped the aircraft immediately when he saw the tug turn and tug came within 15 feet of the aircraft. The #2 flight attendant was standing up completing her preflight duties and fell in her galley. The taxi light was illuminated and we were moving and had been moving for sometime just a blatant disregard by the ramp personnel. Cause: The tug driver and their disregard for aircraft movement on the rampSuggestion: Ramp personnel training to give way to aircraft.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.